Charactering-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. 0; OLARKI I GHARAUTERING MACHINE:

No. 581,268. Patented Apr. 27., 1897'.

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WIT/\IESEEEJ I (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. 0. CLARK. GHARAGTBRING MACHINE.

No. 581,268. x Patented Apr. 27, 1897.

M Joseph 0. Clark Tu: new: vflcas co. "(ITO-unit. WASNINGYON, n, c.

JOSEPH OSGOOD CLARK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE VICTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MAINE.

CHARACTERlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,268, dated April 27, 1897.

Application filed June 29, 1896. Serial No. 597,487. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known. that LJQSEPH OSGOOD CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusettahave invented a Oharactering- Machine, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my new charactering-machine, the punch-carrier being in one of its extreme positions. Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of so much of the charactering-machine as is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the charactering-machine with the punch-coloring mechanism in place. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation from front to rear of the machine on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the machine. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view at line 7 7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 shows a check with the numeral-indicating perforations colored. Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the front plate removed, showing also in plan view the punchcoloring mechanism supported by the front plate. Fig. 10 is a rear elevation of the front plate removed, showing also in side elevation the punch coloring mechanism. Fig. 11 is a detail view showing in plan view a portion of the punch-carrier and guidebar and illustrating the registering slot in the guide-rail and the function of the guide-rail and registering slot in relation to the crossbars or heads of the punches. rear elevation of what is shown in Fig. 11. Figs. 13 and 14 show modifications of the punch-coloring mechanism.

The objects of my invention are to prod uce an effective protection against the fraudulent alteration of checks, drafts, and other-instruments and to produce a simple and practical perforating writing-machine; and my invention consists in certain important and novel features of construction hereinafter set forth.

' In'thedrawings illustrating the principle tr my invention and the best mode known to prisesa top plate a, united to frame A at the me of applying that principle, frame A comrear bya suitable upright a Punch-carrier B is secured to a vertical rocker-shaft b, journaled in base A and top plate a. A die-plate B is also secured to said rocker-shaft, its

Fig. 12 is a the punch-carrier. Their upper ends are pro:

vided with cross-armsb which work in the cross-slots b the ends of the cross-arms 19 preferably projecting beyond'the outer and inner sides of the punch-holding rib b of the punch-carrier. A suitable guide-bar B is provided with a slot I)", over which the inner ends 19 of the cross-arms b are successively brought when the punch-carrier and its dieplate are swung to do the perforating. This bar is curved and attached at its ends to upright o The inwardly-extending ends b of the cross-arms 19 rest on the upper edge of the guide-bar B and are thus kept from falling in the sockets b excepting only when an end b is brought over the vertical slot b,

which is in line with the impression-plunger D. This plunger is mounted in a vertical socket a in the top plate, the wall of the socket having a vertical slot a. Plunger D is provided with a fixed laterally-projecting fin d, which slides down and up in slot a when the plunger is reciprocated against and away from the punches.

The lower portion of the fin d is provided with a cross-section d, which goes under the? outwardly-projecting ends 11 of the crossarms 19 of the punches. Depression of impression-plungerD causes the plunger to bear onthe head of a punch, if its cross-arm be in line with slot 1) in guide-bar B and forces the punch downwardly to perforate material interposed between its lower end and the'dieplate. Upward motion of the plunger causes cross-plate d to engage the outwardly-projecting end o of the depressed punch and to lift the punch from its operative position to its position of rest. Impression-plunger D is preferably actuated through the rotary and tiltable handle F, which, as shown, has an extension f, rotatively mounted in abearing f of a rocker-frame f journaled at f on the face of top plate a and at right angles to the lengthwise axis of the handle. A suitable spring f is mounted between top plate a and the swinging framef When handle F is depressed, framef is swung forwardly and then compresses sprin g f which automatically returns the handle, impression-plunger, and depressed punch to position of rest, the handle F being through an eye 19 at the upper end of the impression-plunger D.

Between the bearing f, in which the handle F is rotatively mounted in the swinging or rocker frame f and the inner end of the handles extension the extension f is provided with a mutilated bevel-gearj' that meshes with a mutilated bevel-gear f at the upper end of the rocker-shaft 5. Consequently a r0 tary movement of handle F swings the punchcarrier 13, which is fixed onthe main or rocker shaft 1), from one extreme position to its other extreme position and back again and to any desired intermediate position, so that any de sired sign on the lower ends of the punches may be used to perforate the material subjected to the action machine. Shaft 19 also carries an indeXpointer G, that travels over the index-plate G, which is provided with any desired numerals or letters or other signs, these letters, numerals, or signs, as the case may be,correspondingto the perforating-characters on the lower ends of the punches. In the present instance the index-plate is provided with the United States of America dollar-mark ($1 and with the numerals 1 to 9, inclusive, and the sign for naught and with a conventional arbitrary star-like sign frequently used in check-punches to indicate that all the legitimate or intended perforations are the preceding perforations.

The punches are preferably each provided with a series of pins arranged to form signs, but they may be ordinary block-type, if desired, so long as they are of a construction that enables them to perforate the material operated on.

The inner end of the rotary and tiltable handle F engages a vertically-reciprocating link H to connect the handle with the main feedroll I through the following instrumentalities: Feed-roll I has a roughened surface that projects a little above the upper surfaceof the die-plate and intermediate upper surface 'of the base of frame A. This roll is mounted on a shaft 7t, which is j ournaled in said base and which is provided at its inner end wit-ha spurwheel 7L2 and a ratchet h Ratchet h is successively engaged, as the handle F is succ'es sively depressed, by a pull-pawl h, loosely pinned to an arm of a beltcran k lever if, that isl'oosely pinned on the innersurface of upright a? Pull-pawl H4 is held in operative contact "with the ratchet 71 by a suitable spring 71. To the other arm of the b'ell crank lever k the link H is loosely pinned. Every clepression of handle F throws pawl h over one tooth of the ratchet h and into position to engage that tooth when the handle is raised. A dog h fast on the base, cooperates with the spur-wheel 7L and prevents the feed-roll from moving farther than required when the pullpa'wl draws 011 the ratchet-wheel lbs. The pull of the pawl is due to expansion of spring f if the handle be not lifted positively by the operator.

A stop Won the upright a is desirably mounted back of the lower arm of the bellcrank lever, so that the bell-crank engages the stop when the lever completes its backward movement in pulling the feed-ratchet from one position to another position. Feedroll I cooperates with a cooperating presserroll I, mounted on a slide-bar 1 This slidebar 1* works in ways 'i 011 front plate A and is provided with a suitable cam acting device at 2" and cam bar or handle '5 whereby the presser-roll is lifted to admit a check or other instrument to be perforatedly charactered. Said cam-acting device in this instance is made up of a pin 00* through thebar 1 against which pin the incline a:** (see Fig. 3) on handle t engages to lift the bar I when the bandle is turned. One end of the handle is bored and passed over the upper end of bar I the pin as keeping the handle in place with its under side resting on the front plate A3. The presser- Tour is held down by force of a spring i My new charactering-mac'hine is adapted for use independently of the coloring-applying mechanism, but I prefer to apply color to the punches in orderto color the side walls of the perforations. I find in practice that the freshly-cut walls of the perforations quickly absorb any ink, dye, or coloring-matter on the punches, and that even though the surface of the paper is highly caleud'ered the margins of the perforation, as well as the side walls thereof, become of a colored or contrast-ed appearance. It thus becomes practically impossible to alter the perforations by removing the coloring-matter or by refilling the holes and reperforating. I have referred to the parts forming the perforations as punches, but in the broadest sense they are type-bars or type-carriers or type-heads, although the types are cutters] or punchers, I refer to this fact because while I show my invention embodied in a 'checkpunch yet many of my novel features of construction may be embodied, if desired, in anoi-uinar type-writing machine that prints withoutperforating the paper impressed, and b -increasing the number of punches in my machine to include all the characters and signs 'of any written language the machine may be used as a typewriter, and in the same broad sense the die-plate is a platen and the punch-carrier a type-bar carrier. By forming the type heads "so that they perforate the paper or other material operated on and providing a sufficient number of such type-heads a coinplete type-writing machine is produced, and

by adding colored mechanism to the machine wills, deeds, and other instruments may be written with colored perforations representing the signs of any written language and in a manner that defies fraudulent alterations or effacement.

Front plate A has an inwardly-extended lip j, slotted at j, in line with the impressionplunger D and slot 6 in guide-bar B In the construction shown the punch-coloring de vices consist of rolls j j mounted at ends of leaf-springs 3' rising from lip j, to which their rear ends are fast. Rolls 7' j are withinfountains 7' j" and are held down against the force of their upwardly-bearin g supportin g-sprin gs 7' and 7' by a suitable cross-bar f. The surfaces of the rolls j and 7' touch the lips of the punches when the punch-carrier is swung from one position to another, and consequently apply to the punches a suitable amount of ink or other coloring taken up by the rolls from the fountains f and j.

Any other suitable punch-coloring device may be used, if desired. In Fig. 5 a check K is shown in place for perforation and coloring of the perforations.

In Fig. 8 the marginally-colored perforations it are indicated on a check K. .The inner wall of the perforation is colored and the coloring is marginally visible and generally marginally present because the freshly-cut surfaces permit the absorption of the coloringmatter to a limited marginal extent around and about the perforations.

Figs. 13 and 14 show a modification of thev punch-coloring mechanism. In Fig. 13 the journals of each coloring-roll a: are mounted on movable uprights 00, held in working position in the path of the punches bya spring x A cross-bar connects the two uprights. Roll 00 contacts with a roll x journaled in sides of fountain m and uprights w are provided with projections 03 working in slots 00 in hollow posts 00 on opposite sides of the fountain. In Fig. 14 a roll y, immersed in fountain y, colors the punches. In both modifications there is a punch-colorin g mechanism at each side of the punching-point.

What I claim is- 1. In a characteringmachine, a swinging type-bar carrier; an endwise-movable typebar socketed therein, a cross-bar on the typebar and projecting beyond said carrier through a slot which intersects the type-bar socket; in combination with a guide-bar having a registering slot; the cross-bar projecting over the guide-bar except when over the impression-point and then moving in said registering slot.

2. In a charactering-ma'chine, a swinging type-carrier; an endwise-movable type-bar therein; a cross-bar on said type-bar; a rotatable and tiltable handle; a type-bar plunger carried by the handle; a fin connected with dle passes loosely and a platen and type-bar guide having a registering slot in line with said plunger; a t ype-bar-carrying mechanism comprising a gear meshing with a gear on the handle; an intermittent feeding mechanism comprising a link having an eye through which the handle passes loosely.

at. In a charactering-machine, the combination of a charactering mechanism comprising a type-bar carrier; a type-bar and a platen; a type-bar plunger; a type-bar guide having a registering slot in line with said type-bar plunger; means substantially such as described for connecting said plunger with successive type-bars to lift them from the platen; an intermittent feeding mechanism; a rotate ing and tilting handle having a gear connection with the type-bar carrier; the feeding mechanism comprising a link provided with an eye through which the handle passes loosely; and the type-bar plunger being in the path of the handle when the same is moved to give impression.

5. In a charactering-machine, a swinging type-bar carrier; an endwise-movable typebar socketed therein, a cross-bar on the typebar and projecting beyond said carrier through a slot which intersects the type-bar socket; in combination with a guide-bar having a registering slot; the cross-bar projecting over the guide-bar except when over the impression-point, and then moving in said registering slot; and a coloring mechanism, whereby the perforations will be contrasted in color with the material that is perforated.

6. In a charactering-machine a swinging type-bar carrier; an endwise-movable typebar socketed therein, a cross-bar on the typebar and projecting beyond said carrier through a slot which intersects the type-bar socket; in combination with a guide-bar havin g a registering slot; the cross-bar projecting over the guide-bar except when over the impression-point, and then moving in said registering slot; and upwardly-spring-pressed inking-rolls j j suitable ink-fountains, and cross-bars 3' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 12th day of Witnesses:

EDWARD S. BEACH, E. A. ALLEN. 

